Val Mills

Reflections on returning to my roots. Attending the celebrations of my primary school Centenary has enriched my life and reminded me of who I really am.

A retelling of the New Zealand Maori legend of Okatia and the formation of the Manawatu Gorge and River.

Radio in the 1950s was the dominant home entertainment for many families. One writer remembers the Sunday children's programme.

Life is too short to be grumpy. Writing can be a wonderful outlet, a channel for letting go of things that are bothering you.

Letter writing in childhood began a life long interest in writing. The method of communication may be different but people still link with like minded people around the world.

Competitive sports people are sometimes successful before they've learned to deal with attention. A young competitive swimmer struggles during a long speech. Will the boredom be saved by one small fly? Memories of a swimming championship meet in the early 1960s.

Life is filled with unexpected moments, creating an element of surprise. We can choose to ignore these or deal with them and move forward. Today my cat delivered an element of surprise. He taught me humour can reduce the effect of shock. One cat and one rat have provided plenty of wri...

Shoes for all occasions, mine took me on a trip down memory lane. What life stories do you remember from the shoes of your past?

You've self published your book, but what happens next? How do you bring your work to the attention of potential buyers and readers? Read about how one writer's experience may help you.

Become a better person by reaching out to others. Closing yourself off to others makes the door to your heart more difficult to open.

Mothers choose their children's clothing, until the child is able to choose for themself. Reflections on the dominance of red in my childhood wardrobe.

Writing less on a daily basis can sometimes mean achieving more over a longer period of time.

Good writers continue to seek ways to improve. Here is the beginning of one writer's journey of self-improvement, with writing tips that will hopefully help other writers..

Photographs are a great way of recalling detail from the past when writing memoir. They provide a wealth of information and give detail that could otherwise be overlooked.

Things to think about when buying a new washing machine.

After two years an author sees the finished product of a two year writing commitment.

A small selection of postcards sent to celebrate the coming of the New Year in days gone by.

Stepping up the memoir writing is becoming exciting. It’s now full steam ahead.

Exploring family relationships through oral story telling can result in stories being told in written form. Poetry is one way of recording those stories.

Spending time with other memoir writers is triggering a high level of motivation for me as i write my 1950s school memoir. Attending a writing course is definitely something I recommend to all who wish to lift their writing to a new level.

Sometimes the general public can't help wonder if lawyers are presenting all the facts in a court trial. Do they present only those that are able to support their case? Can we really still trust the justice system?

Writing content for online sites is a wonderful way of having your work exposed to a wide audience. Some writers, however, have unrealistic expecations of what they can expect from any writing site. What follows is my personal view of why Wikinut is a great place to share work and lea...

It is easy to make excuses for not writing. Why not turn that around into something more positive? How about making excuses to write! Tell yourself you rreally must write and start believing in yourself. Other things can wait.

Wouldn't it be lovely if a writer could afford to do nothing but write. The reality for most though, is that writing has to take place in the day along side other activities, which include earning a living. It doesn't hurt to dream though. These outpourings of my writing frustrations ...

Finding time to write when you're surrounded by other distractions can be difficult. I've just returned from two days away in a writers' cottage, where I was surrounded by silence and birds and the words flowed freely.